Injection drug use is the second most common method of transmitting
HIV in men.

The criminal
justice system spent approximately $400 million on dealing with drug law
violations in 1992.

80% of
offenders report using illicit drugs during their lifetime.

In Canada, enormous
amounts of money have been spent in an attempt to combat the war on drugs.
During the past twenty years, there have been numerous efforts to address the
key issues related to drug and alcohol misuse, involving multiple disciplines.
However, it has only been in recent years that harm reduction approaches and
policies have been piloted and debated.

What is Harm
Reduction? Harm reduction policies and programs are those that work toward
reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use. They use a public
health approach to dealing with drugs and drug-related issues. Harm reduction
policies arose from the need to reduce the spread of AIDS/HIV through injection
drug use.

Harm
reduction policies arose from the need to reduce the spread of
AIDS/HIV through injection drug use.

A harm reduction policy
or program can take several forms, most of which can be found in some form or
another operating in Canada. Examples of harm reduction programs include:
syringe and needle exchanges, education and outreach programs for those at risk
of contracting infectious diseases, methadone programs, law enforcement
policies, tolerance areas or safe injection sites supervised by medical
personnel, and alcohol and tobacco policies/programs.

Harm reduction has
never been concretely defined; however, it has a number of characteristics that
set it apart from other drug policies. Amongst harm reductions
identifiable features is its pragmatism. The pragmatism behind harm reduction
is that it accepts that drugs are part of our society and, although they carry
risks, they provide the user with benefits, such a means of coping and escaping
from current life circumstances. Understanding these benefits is important if
drug-using behaviour is to be understood. From a community perspective,
pragmatism means that efforts are made to contain drug-related harms rather
than trying to eliminate the drug use entirely. Respecting the dignity and
rights of the user through humanistic values is another feature of harm
reduction. Harm reduction accepts, as a fact, the drug users decision to
use drugs.